Under Desk Grow

Jakevns Week 1 kicked off once the seedling shed her helmet and started opening up. She was under Barrina LED strips at 4" running 24/0, with stable temps around 72°F and humidity around 65%. I watered lightly with plain RO water as needed, letting the top 1–2" dry out before rewatering. No nutrients or Cal-Mag were added this week. Growth was slow but steady — first true leaves began forming and she stayed compact. The soil dried out fairly quickly due to airflow, so I adjusted my fan angle to reduce stress. Overall, she stayed healthy and green with no signs of stretch or deformity. Just letting her build a solid root base before switching lights next week.

Jakevns Do-Si-Dos (Royal Queen Seeds) entered early veg this week with steady growth and tight node spacing. She hit 4 full nodes and began forming her 5th node and inner branches, showing she's ready for LST soon. She's still compact — around 2 inches tall — and thriving under the Mars Hydro FC1500-EVO at 50% power, 22" above canopy, running on an 18 9/5 schedule. Watering: I watered once this week with plain RO + Cal-Mag (1 ml/gal) on Day 16 (May 9), giving about 250–300ml (~0.25–0.3L). Soil stayed moist longer due to cooler garage temps and solid root zone development, so I waited for the top 2" to dry before watering again. Humidity stayed around 60–65%, and temps around 72°F. Fan and humidifier are running on cycles to avoid over-drying. She's looking super healthy with vibrant color, perky growth, and no stress. If she stretches just a bit more, LST will begin next week!

Jakevns Week 3 tested us with some brutal heat—the garage hit 98°F and stayed in the 90s most of the week. I held off on training to avoid stressing her further, but despite the conditions, she pushed through like a champ. On Day 20, she officially hit pre-flower, with pistils showing at the nodes. And today, Day 21, I started gentle LST, giving her a soft first bend to open up the canopy. I’ll continue shaping her slowly over the next few days to avoid over-bending like last time. Watering was based on feel and pot weight. I gave her RO water three times this week—once with Cal-Mag—and she absorbed it slower than usual after I topped the pot with fresh soil. No signs of overwatering. To finish the week strong, I brewed and applied my first batch of compost tea (“Tea Party #1”) using worm castings, molasses, and fish emulsion. It steeped for ~18 hours with strong bubbling, then I diluted it 50/50 with RO and gave her a healthy feed to kick off flower. Despite the heat, she’s right on track. Week 4 starts tomorrow, and I’m hyped to watch her stretch and stack.

Jakevns This was a productive week in early flower. Pistils continued stacking and the plant responded really well to ongoing low-stress training. I kept shaping her gradually over the week, adjusting the bend slightly every few days to keep the canopy even without stressing her out. Her structure is compact and well-formed. I did a midweek watering with plain RO water, checking pot weight, finger test, and moisture meter (which had started to drop into the 7–8 range). This rehydrated the soil nicely in preparation for the next feeding. On Day 28 (May 19), I brewed and applied her first full-strength compost tea (Tea Party #2) at the very end of the week. The brew included: Worm castings Fish emulsion Unsulfured molasses It was aerated for 18 hours with two air stones and then diluted 50/50 with RO water. She took it in well, and I’m holding off on any watering now until the pot dries out. Light intensity was increased gradually throughout the week, reaching 75% by the end of Week 4 under the Mars Hydro FC1500-EVO, still ~19 inches from the canopy. Environment this week: Temps: 75–81°F Humidity: 53–65% Set the fan on a timer cycle to help reduce RH swings Overall, a strong week. Early flower development is looking great, and she’s well-prepped for bloom feeding as Week 5 begins.

Jakevns This week brought a mix of progress and a little drama. On Day 30, the Do-Si-Dos Auto was top-dressed with worm castings, Stonington Plant Food, and fish bone meal, then watered with a Big Bud nutrient solution (2 ml/L). She responded well and showed continued healthy growth. On Day 32, a surprising discovery: the main stem had snapped during earlier LST without being noticed, effectively topping the plant. The damage was clean and the plant adjusted quickly, redirecting growth to surrounding branches. LST ties were released temporarily to reduce stress, and leaves were tucked to expose new growth. Light LST resumed later in the week to maintain an even canopy. Humidity ranged from 53–65% and temps hovered between 75–81°F. Lighting was gradually increased to nearly 75% over the course of the week, with the light height raised to 21" above the canopy after redesigning the desk setup. The plant was placed onto a new auto-watering base, raising the pot height and improving drainage and airflow. No Cal-Mag was applied this week, but a Cal-Mag watering is planned for early Week 6.